Continuous chilling and vacuum packaging device



Feb. 21, 1967 H G. REICHEL 3,304,689

CONTINUOUS CHILLING AND VACUUM PACKAGING DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HOWARD 6 lQE/CHEL BY ,4 v

)4 TTRA/EK Feb. 21, 1967 H. G. REICHEL CONTINUOUS CHILLING AND VACUUM PACKAGING DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 /6 W 1 W8 Y 23 /4 'llmhl E 25 I I W I M JHMHiiiim. Y 1

\ T m N 1 P mi; M 1105i /2 O O O O INVENTOR.

Hon/4R0 G. RE/cHEL 14 TTORJ/VEY.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,304,689 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 nois Filed Jan. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 249,884 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-112) This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for chilling and packaging liquid-containing products. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for continuously chilling liquid-containing food products preparatory to vacuum packaging such liquid-containing food products.

In the manufacture of liquid food products such as boil-in-bag items, it has been found to be necessary to vacuumize the bag or other container after filling. Where such products include gravies or other fluids, these fluids tend to be drawn into the vacuum system. It has been found necessary therefore to chill the bag or container and its contents to make the gravy too viscous to be affected by the vacuum process. In the past, the filling and sealing have usually been carried out in a series of manual operations which have resulted in a slow and costly process.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for packaging liquid-containing products.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for continuously chilling and vacuum packaging liqui d-containing products. Additional objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

Briefly, my improved method of vacuum packaging liquid-containing products comprises introducing the liquid-containing product into a package, chilling the package at least until the viscosity of the liquid material has increased to a desired point Where the vacuum sealing of the package will not draw the. liquid into the vacuum system, and finally vacuum sealing the package while the viscosity of the liquid is in the desired range.

Briefly, my improved device is comprised of a conveying means having a plurality of vertically extending container support means carried thereon, with each of the support members being comprised of two spaced walls having a plurality of horizontal passages internally of said side walls, and a means for forcing a chilling medium transversely across said conveying means and through the passages between walls of the support members. The conveying means is trained along a path which passes the container support means through a means for placing an unfilled package between two supports and a means for introducing the liquid-containing food products into the package at one side of the chilling means; and through means at the opposite end of the path for vacuum sealing the packages.

My invention may be more fully understood by referring to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partially in section of an embodiment of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end view in vertical section taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of a pair of support members which may be used with my invention.

More specifically, my improved method will be practiced continuously by placing unfilled containers, such as bags, between pairs of heat conducting supports moving along a given path, and the introducing of a liquidcontaining food product into the package at a location along the path. This can be done either at one time or in two steps by first introducing the solid portion of the food product and then subsequently introducing the liquid portion, or by introducing both the liquids and the solids at the same time. After filling the tops of the bags, which extend slightly above the moving supports, are bent to one side and held in that position during the travel of the bags through a substantial length of the path. Next, while the tops of the bags are thus bent and held closed, a chilling medium, preferably a chilled gas, such as, air, is passed across the path of the moving package between the supports and in contact with the unsupported sides of the package until the viscosity of the liquid material has increased at least to a point where the vacuum sealing of the package will not draw the liquid material into the vacuum system. In food products such as gravies and the like, this temperature generally will be about 40 F. or less but will vary with the initial viscosity of the liquid material. Due to the tops of the bags being held closed there is no dehydration of the product. Finally, the package is vacuum sealed while the viscosity of the liquid is at least above the minimum range required to avoid having the liquid drawn into the vacuum system. If desired, the food product may be frozen prior to vacuum sealing. As may be seen, this method allows fast and continous vacuum sealing of packages containing liquid products and eliminates the problem of liquids being drawn into the vacuum system.

Referring to FIGURE 1, an apparatus for filling, chilling and sealing ba s 4 comprises a frame 10 and a continuous power-driven chain conveyor 12 mounted thereon. This endless chain conveyor is driven by drive means such as an electric motor 13 and carriesa plurality of groups of platens generally 14 extending perpendicularly to the surface thereof. A filling unit shown generally at 16 is located above the upper run of the continuous conveyor on one end thereof, and a vacuum seal unit shown generally at 20 is mounted above the upper run of the conveyor on the other end thereof. A chilling tunnel 18 is positioned upon frame 10 surrounding both the upper and lower runs of conveyor 12 between the filling unit and the vacuum seal unit. The chilling tunnel has an upper delivery section 22 for delivering chilled air across the upper run of conveyor 12 and a lower return section 24 for returning the chilled air after it has passed through the platens 14. A folding means comprising a horizontal bar 23 extends across the delivery section 22 between the filling and sealing units at a level just above the tops of the platens 14.

As may be seen in FIGURE 2, the chilling tunnel 18 is connected to a chilling unit 25 which chills the air and propels it through the delivery section 22, down across the conveyor and back out through the return section 24 to the chilling unit 25.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, it may be seen that the platens are spaced apart a small distance usually about /2 inch with the actual spacing being determined :by the size of the desired package. Each of the platens is made up of a pair of side walls 26, and an interconnected corrugated sheet 30 which is spot-welded or otherwise appropriately fastened to the side walls 26 of the platen with the corrugated channels disposed horizontally.

In operation, a group of bags, or other packages 28 with the solid fill already placed therein, are placed on the conveyor in the filling unit 16 with each bag between a pair of platens in a vertical position with their open ends up. The conveyor, which is preferably driven intermittently indexes the group of bags to a position where filling nozzles (not shown) lower into the open end of the bag and deposit the desired amount of fluid into each bag. Then, the nozzles are withdrawn from the bag and the conveyor again moves to deliver filled bags into the chill tunnel and to succeeding platens into the filling unit. The filled bags 28 move in steps through the chilling tunnel 18 wherein their transit time is sufficient to reduce the viscosity of the liquid material at least to a point where the vacuum sealing of the package will not draw the liquid into the vacuum system. This time governs the rate at which the conveyor is operated. Also during transit through the chilling tunnel 18 the open tops of the filled bags will be held folded across the top on an adjacent platen 14 by the bar 23 to prevent entrance of the chilled air into the bag and consequent dehydration of product.

When the product in the bag has been frozen or chilled sufficiently to at least reduce the viscosity of the liquid to the desired level, the bag, still in vertical position and between the platens, is delivered to the vacuum seal unit. Here the vacuum tubes (not shown) enter the open ends of the bag and the open tops thereof are sealed while under vacuum. With the sealing completed, the conveyor 12 moves the bag carrying platens from the chilling unit. As the platens round the end of the conveyor and turn to follow the bottom run thereof, the sealed packages 4 slide from between the platens 14 and are discharged onto a packaging conveyor 32 which delivers them to a packaging unit (not shown). I.

It is apparent that as the filled packages 28 pass through the chilling tunnel 18 that the chilled air passes through the platens thereby chilling side walls 26 by direct contact. The remaining four walls of packages 28 are contacted directly with the chilled air.

It is clear that many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An improved device for vacuum packaging liquidcontaining food products comprising: at least a pair of internally open platens for supporting a container along a given path; a fluid filling unit for introducing the liquidcontaining food products into the container at one end of said path; a chilling tunnel surrounding a portion of said path; a chilling unit passing chilled air through the platens and in contact with the unsupported sides of the container until the viscosity of the liquid in the food containers has increased to a point where the vacuum sealing of the container will not draw the liquid into the vacuum system; and a vacuum sealing unit at the end of said continuous path for vacuum sealing the container.

2. An improved device for chilling liquid-containing products in containers comprising: a frame, an endless chain conveyor mounted on said frame; a plurality of groups of vertically extending platens carried by said conveyor with the platens spaced from each other a distance equal to the width of the container carried therebetween, said platens being comprised of two side walls and a corrugated divider member interspacing said side walls to allow the passage of chilling air through the platen; a filling unit mounted on said frame at one end of said conveyor for filling a liqiud-containing product into the container; a vacuum seal unit mounted on said frame at the other end of said conveyor; a chilling tunnel mounted on said frame and surrounding said conveyor at a point intermediate of said filling unit and said vacuum seal unit; a source of chilled air connected to said tunnel; and means for forcing said chilled air through said tunnel and through the platens and to contact the container directly on all sides unsupported by said platens.

3. An improved device for vacuum packaging liquidcontaining food products comprising: at least a pair of platens for supporting food containers along a given path, said platens comprising two side walls and a corrugated divider member interspacing said side walls; a filling unit for introducing the liquid-containing food products into a container at one end of said path; a chilling tunnel surrounding at least a portion of said path; and a source of chilled gas connected to said tunnel whereby the chilled gas is passed through said tunnel and said platens and in contact with the unsupported sides of the container.

30 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1937 Great Britain.

A. LOUIS MONACELL, Primary Examiner.

HYMAN LORD, Examiner. 

1. AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR VACUUM PACKAGING LIQUIDCONTAINING FOOD PRODUCTS COMPRISING: AT LEAST A PAIR OF INTERNALLY OPEN PLATENS FOR SUPPORTING A CONTAINER ALONG A GIVEN PATH; A FLUID FILLING UNIT FOR INTRODUCING THE LIQUIDCONTAINING FOOD PRODUCTS INTO THE CONTAINER AT ONE END OF SAID PATH; A CHILLING UNIT PASSING CHILLED AIR THROUGH THE SAID PATH; A CHILLING UNIT PASSING CHILLED AIR THROUGH THE PLATENS AND IN CONTACT WITH THE UNSUPPORTED SIDES OF THE CONTAINER UNTIL THE VISCOSITY OF THE LIQUID IN THE FOOD CONTAINERS HAS INCREASED TO A POINT WHERE THE VACUUM SEALING OF THE CONTAINER WILL NOT DRAW THE LIQUID INTO THE VACUUM SYSTEM; AND A VACUUM SEALING UNIT AT THE END OF SAID CONTINUOUS PATH FOR VACUUM SEALING THE CONTAINER. 